Having a baby is indeed very pleasant. Even so, the process of taking care of the baby does not always run smoothly. There are times when we, as parents, will face difficult and thrilling moments, like when our little one gets sick.
If our baby is attacked by common illnesses, such as coughs and flu, we probably won't feel too panicked because as parents, of course we already know the right ways and stages of handling them. So, what if your little one has a disease that requires special and responsive treatment, such as asthma? The first thing we need to do, of course, is to keep ourselves in a calm condition and immediately do the first treatment for asthma sufferers. If we still feel confused about what steps we need to take as first aid when a child has an asthma attack, we can do the following tips:
- Help the child to sit up comfortably
The first thing that needs to be done when a child has asthma is to help him sit up straight and put him in a comfortable position. This can help your little one to be more relaxed and calm so that it can help him breathe better. We can also help him to loosen clothes to make it easier to breathe.
- Keep children away from things that can trigger asthma
There are several things that are likely to trigger asthma. Among them are dust, cold temperatures, or flying fur from pets. If your little one has asthma, it's a good idea to keep your little one away from things that trigger asthma around him first to prevent his asthma attack from getting worse.
- Administration of inhalers
The role of an inhaler for your little one who has asthma is very important to help him breathe more easily. However, your little one definitely needs our help to spray the inhaler into his mouth. Help him spray the inhaler slowly 2x with an interval of 30 minutes. If there is no change, it must be taken to the hospital immediately.
- Contact ambulance ns if needed
If you don't have an inhaler for your little one or your little one's asthma attack gets worse even though he has used the inhaler up to a maximum of 10 spray doses, then we can immediately call an ambulance to help him get medical treatment as soon as possible.
- Give the child a cup of hot tea
Giving your baby a cup of hot tea can be the right asthma first aid. The reason behind this is the fact that warm drinks containing caffeine, such as tea, can help open the airways a little. Caffeine compounds work in a way that is almost similar to an asthma drug called theophylline which functions to reduce symptoms of shortness of breath. But this is only for people with mild asthma.
Those are some things we can do when our baby has an asthma attack. However, these tips on doing first aid are not intended to replace medical treatment procedures. So, after a child's asthma attack has subsided, it is better to immediately take the child to a qualified health facility, such as a hospital, to carry out an examination and get action from professional and experienced medical personnel. That way, asthma attacks experienced by children do not have the potential to interfere with their growth and development and daily life.
This article was written by dr. Ribka Cordelia Iskandar, Sp.A (EMC Tangerang Pediatrician).